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Located in the northern region of the Island, the Penang Butterfly Farm is at Teluk Bahang, approximately 20 minutes from Batu Ferringhi.

Apart from butterflies, other insects, reptiles and amphibians are also on display and is well received by children and adults alike.

Photographers and enthusiasts won’t be disappointed as there are many different species of butterfly in the enclosed garden. Don’t forget your telezoom and macro lenses.

If you turn up in bright coloured clothes, chances are you will have a butterfly standing on you, a perfect photo opportunity.

Even for the little ones, there are plenty to do and see. Simpy give them a digital camera and they will be happy snapping away.

To make it even more interesting for the children, the farm invented a number of characters based on insects, reptiles and animals.

A Nature Guided Tour is also available inside the farm for all visitors.

These characters are seen on displays, signs, info graphics and brochures and in the merchandise store.

My daughter’s favourite is Orni, a white butterfly with spotted wings, a present from her uncle.

To avoid queues, a weekday visit is recommended. Public buses or taxis are available to take visitors from town or Batu Ferringhi right up to the Butterfly Farm.

What is nearby: Also situated not far from the the farm is the Teluk Bahang Forest Park. For those planning to it make it a full day in Teluk Bahang, these two destinations will provide you with plenty to do and see. The other place which may be of interest in Teluk Bahang is the water dam.

Yee Fu, Yi Foo or Ee Foo Mee as it is sometimes known is a non-spicy braised egg noodle dish.

It is what I would class as comfort food by comparison to the other hawker dishes which are normally full of flavour, sharp or spicy.

This is my personal favourite as I used to order this with the added egg when dining at the restaurant in China Street, Georgetown with my grand father.

Said to be of Cantonese origin, Yee Fu Mee in Penang has had several types of treatments.

Not so much in its ingredient but in the way it is served, you can now find Yee Fu Mee from stalls offering Clay Pot dishes, Sizzling Hot Plate dishes and the straight forward honest Yee Foo Mee served on a plate.

The noodles used in Yee Fu Mee is like no other. Made from wheat flour and egg, it is more well known for it’s high egg content giving it a slightly chewy texture.

Often you will find Yee Fu Mee stalls stacked full of cakes of dried noodles. This deep fried noodle is not found in any other dishes and for that it is worth a try.

When an order is placed, these dried noodles are flash boiled and put on a plate.

A mixture of seafood and meat; cuttle fish, prawns and sliced pork are then cooked in a wok on high heat followed by leafy vegetables (Choy Sum) and a concoction of meat stock, oyster sauce, corn flour and dark soy sauce to make the gravy.

The gravy with all its ingredients are then poured onto the noodle and served with some cut pickled green chilli on the side.

Where to get Yee Fu Mee: Restaurants along China Street in Georgetown in the evening (my favourite place for Yee Fu Mee), New World Park Food Centre, Coffee Shops near Pulau Tikus Market in the day time and Roadside Stalls in the evening.

Heat Level: Non-Spicy

Recipe Books

If you can’t get to Penang or simply want to prepare this at home, why not try one of the cook books below:

Char Koay Teow is probably the most lusted over dish by Penangnites who have migrated abroad.

Made primarily by stir-frying flat rice noodles in a huge wok over a very hot flame, the most exciting part of Char Koay Teow being cooked, is the banging of the stainless steel spatula against the cast-iron wok while sparks and flames fly all around!

The name Char Koay Teow translate literally to stir-fried flat rice noodle and it is a Penang state specialty.

Hainanese Chicken Rice is a tasty and non-spicy meal consisting of a plate of specially flavoured rice, made by cooking the rice in chicken stock and served with a choice of either boiled or roast chicken.

The chicken is drizzled with soya sauce and sesame oil and garnished with spring onions.

The meal is usually accompanied by a small bowl of clear soup garnished with parsley, and a tangy light chilli sauce.

Extras

Add-ons, such as boiled leafy vegetables, hard boiled eggs and delicacies such as giblets and kerabu chicken feet can usually be ordered to complement the meal.

Authentic Nasi Lemak is a rice dish wrapped in banana leaf to form the shape of a small pyramid parcel and are usually eaten cold straight out of the pack.

Commonly eaten at breakfast, Nasi Lemak is often found at road side stalls at any time of the day.

Nasi Lemak in parcels are a much simpler version and usually containing only one or two toppings while the Nasi Lemak served at a restaurants or hawker centres on a plate, sometimes lined with a cut of banana leaf for authenticity usually comes with a variety of toppings and is usually served with warm rice.

The rice is cooked in coconut milk with screw pine leaves (daun pandan) to give it a creamy texture and fragrant aroma.

It’s kind of like a national dish, famous among the locals and found in most major restaurants throughout Malaysia.

If you fancy a plate of posh Nasi Lemak, pop into the one of the Resort Hotels, and they are bound to have it, at it’s most glorious.

However, we strongly recommend the authentic roadside or hawker stalls that are most sought-after by the locals; it is after all really hawker food.

Extras

Hawker stalls that specialise in Nasi Lemak, usually also offer a range of different curries, prawn, fish, chicken, a myriad style of eggs cooked hard-boiled, fried sunny side up, deep fried and other side dishes such as assam prawns, sambal stir fried okra.